WO2003088351A1

WO2003088351A1 - Port structure in semiconductor processing device

Info

Publication number: WO2003088351A1
Application number: PCT/JP2003/003997
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yasushi Takeuchi
Original assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
Priority date: 2002-04-12
Filing date: 2003-03-28
Publication date: 2003-10-23
Also published as: TWI270955B; TW200402822A; KR100922051B1; KR20040099260A; CN2795158Y; CN1639857A; CN1307706C

Abstract

A semiconductor processing device has a port structure for carrying in and out a processing subject substrate (W). A partition wall (4) for separating the outer region (S1) and inner region (S2) of the device from each other is formed with a port (41) for passage of the processing subject substrate (W). The partition wall (4) is provided with a door (43) for opening and closing the port (41). A mount (61) is disposed within the outer region (S1) to face the port (41). Disposed above the mount (61) is a presser member (72). The presser member (72) presses a carrier vessel (2) for the processing subject substrate (W) from above onto the mount (61). The presser member (72) is moved between a lower position where it engages the carrier vessel (2) and an upper position where it does not interfere with the movement of the carrier vessel (2).

Description

Specification

Port structure in semiconductor processing equipment

Technical field

The present invention relates to a port structure for carrying a substrate to and from a semiconductor processing apparatus. Here, semiconductor processing refers to forming a semiconductor layer insulating layer, a conductive layer, and the like in a predetermined pattern on a substrate to be processed, such as a semiconductor wafer or an LCD substrate, so that the semiconductor processing is performed on the substrate. It refers to various processes performed to manufacture semiconductor devices and structures including wiring, electrodes, and the like connected to the semiconductor devices.

Background art

As one of the semiconductor processing apparatuses, there is a vertical heat processing apparatus that performs a heat treatment on a large number of semiconductor wafers in a batch. This vertical heat treatment apparatus includes a partition having a port through which a wafer passes, as well as separating an external area and an internal area of the apparatus. Typically, the outer side area is an IZO area on the atmosphere side where a carrier container containing a plurality of wafers is carried in and out by an automatic transport robot or an operator. The inner area is a loading area where the wafer in the carrier container is transferred to a wafer boat as a substrate holder and loaded and unloaded into a heat treatment furnace.

In such a vertical heat treatment apparatus, it is necessary to set the loading area to an atmosphere having a higher degree of cleanliness than the iZo area, and to prevent the generation of a natural oxide film on the wafer. There is. It is also necessary to control particle contamination of the wafer. this Therefore, IZO et Li A and Rodei Ngue Li A and the partition Ri b Dei Ngue Li A in the clean gas such as nitrogen with a partition wall (New ₂₎ Arbitrary desirable and this to clean gas atmosphere meets with the gas. In addition, a closed-type carrier container (closed-type carrier container) whose front opening (wafer unloading port) is sealed with a lid to transport the wafer is also called. ) Is preferred.

FIG. 10 shows a conventional vertical heat treatment apparatus in which a closed-type carrier vessel is arranged on the port of the above-mentioned partition wall. 1 Nodal area S 1 and loading area S 2 are separated by a partition wall 4. A port 11 is formed in the bulkhead 4, and the port 11 is opened and closed by a door 12. A mounting table 13 for mounting the carrier container 2 is provided in the I / O area S 1. The door 12 is provided with a detachable device 14 for attaching and detaching the lid 21 of the carrier container 2 to and from the carrier container 2.

When the carrier container 2 is placed on the mounting table 13, the edge of the front surface of the carrier container 2 is positioned around the port 11 (that is, the edge of the partition wall 4 defining the port 11). The mounting table 1 3 moves forward until it touches. Next, with the door 12 closed, the lid 21 of the carrier container 2 is removed by the detachable device 14. Next, the inside of the carrier container 2 is replaced with nitrogen gas by a replacement means (not shown). Next, the door 12 and the lid 21 are retracted from the port 11. Thereby, the wafer W in the carrier container 2 can be carried into the opening area S2 side. Such a handling method is desirable in that the increase in the oxygen concentration in the loading area S2 can be suppressed. Such technology is It is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-27472.

On the other hand, since the diameter of the wafer is increasing, the volume in the carrier container is also increasing. Therefore, when replacing the interior of the carrier container 2 with nitrogen gas, it is desirable to increase the supply flow rate of nitrogen gas in order to suppress a decrease in throughput. However, when nitrogen gas is supplied into the carrier vessel 2 at a large flow rate, the internal pressure in the carrier vessel increases and the impact causes the carrier vessel 2 to swing. There is. In this case, a portion of the bottom surface of the carrier container 2 which is in contact with the mounting table rises (flutters) from the mounting table, and the airtightness between the carrier container 2 and the partition wall 4 is deteriorated. As a result, the atmosphere in the carrier container 2 is not sufficiently replaced, flows into the loading area S 2, and affects the atmosphere in the loading area S 2. For example, it is conceivable that oxygen, moisture, organic components, and the like flow into the loading area S2. Further, the displacement of the wafer W in the carrier container 2 may cause a transfer error later.

Disclosure of the invention

An object of the present invention is to ensure a stable mounting state of a carrier container in a port structure for carrying a substrate to be processed into and out of a semiconductor processing apparatus.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a port structure for carrying a processing substrate into and out of a semiconductor processing apparatus, which separates an external area and an internal area of the apparatus. A partition having a port through which the substrate to be processed passes, A door disposed on the partition wall so as to open and close the port, a mounting portion disposed facing the port in the external area, and the mounting portion includes a plurality of processing targets. A carrier container accommodating substrates in multiple stages is formed so as to be placed in a state where the mouth of the carrier container and the port face each other.

A holding member disposed above the mounting portion, and the pressing member presses the carrier container against the mounting portion from above the carrier container;

A drive unit that moves the holding member between a lower position that engages with the carrier container and an upper position that does not interfere with the movement of the carrier container;

Is provided.

The port structure includes: a gas supply unit that supplies and exhausts a clean gas to and from the carrier container when the port of the carrier container is disposed on the port. An exhaust part can be further provided.

The port structure may further include a control unit that controls the door, the gas supply unit, and the exhaust unit, wherein the control unit includes the gas supply unit when the door is closed. And the exhaust unit replaces the inside of the carrier container with the clean gas.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overview of a vertical heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical view schematically showing the inside of the vertical heat treatment apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Sectional view.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional plan view schematically showing the inside of the vertical heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a closed-type carrier container.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a partition wall port and its periphery in the vertical heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the bottom of the carrier container and the engaging member provided on the mounting table are engaged in the vertical heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a holding mechanism of the vertical heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are a vertical sectional side view and a cross-sectional plan view showing a state in which a carrier vessel is provided on a partition wall in the vertical heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG.

9A and 9B are explanatory diagrams showing another example of the holding mechanism.

FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional side view showing a state in which a carrier container is provided on a port of a partition wall in a conventional vertical heat treatment apparatus.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having substantially the same functions and configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description will be made only when necessary.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overview of a vertical heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 and 3 are a vertical sectional side view and a cross-sectional plan view schematically showing the inside of the vertical heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 1, respectively. You.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an outer shell of the vertical heat treatment apparatus is formed by a housing 3. In the housing 3, an IZO area (outside area) S1 and a loading area (inside area) S2 are formed. The I / O area S1 is used for loading / unloading a carrier container 2 containing a plurality of wafers (processed substrates) by an automatic outlet port or an operator. The loading area S2 is used for transferring the wafer in the carrier container 2 to the wafer port 92, which is a substrate holder, for opening and unloading the heat treatment furnace 91. Is done.

The area S 1 and the loading area S 2 are separated by a partition wall 4. The partition 4 is formed with a port 41, and the port 41 is opened and closed by a door 43. Ο 1 Ο The area S1 is set to the air atmosphere (the atmosphere in the clean room). The opening area S2 is set in an inert gas atmosphere, for example, a nitrogen (Ν2) gas atmosphere or a clean dry gas (air having a low particle and organic component and a dew point of less than 60 ° C). You.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a closed-type carrier container. The carrier container 2 is made of, for example, a resin, and is a hermetically sealed container whose front opening (ejection outlet) 20 is opened and closed by a lid 21. In the carrier container 2, a plurality of wafers W having a diameter of, for example, 300 mm, for example, are arranged in a shelf shape and stored in a shelve shape, for example. A rectangular flange portion 22 is fixed to the upper surface of the carrier container 2 via a gap with the upper surface. Flange part 2 2 A circular recess 23 is formed at the center of the.

The lid 21 of the carrier container 2 is provided with a latch mechanism (not shown) for holding the lid 21 at the mouth 20 of the carrier container 2. The lid 21 can be detached from the mouth 20 by releasing the latch mechanism with a detachable device described later. A keyhole 21 a is formed in the lid 21, and the key mechanism on the detachable device side is inserted into the keyhole 21 a and rotated approximately 90 ° to release the latch mechanism. Is done.

The IO area S1 has a first region 5 located on the near side and a second region 6 located on the far side when viewed from the front side of the device. The first mounting tables 51 and 52 arranged on the left and right sides are provided for mounting each of them. On the mounting surfaces of the first mounting tables 51 and 52, pins (positioning members) that fit into recesses provided at the bottom of the carrier container 2 in order to position the carrier container 2 53 are arranged, for example, in three places (see Fig. 1). .

The space above the first area 5, that is, the space above the first mounting tables 51 and 52 is surrounded by a U-shaped panel portion 54. The space enclosed by the panel section 54 is transported along the ceiling (not shown) in the clean room by the automatic transport robot to the first loading tables 51 and 52. Prepared to pass while supporting the incoming carrier container 2.

In the second area 6 of the IZO area S1, second mounting tables (mounting units) 61 and 62 are arranged. The mounting surfaces of the second mounting tables 61 and 62 fit into the concave portions provided at the bottom of the carrier container 2. Pins (positioning members) 63 are provided, for example, at three locations (see FIG. 1). When the carrier container 2 is positioned by the pins 63 on the second mounting table 61 (62), the mouth 20 of the carrier container 2 is connected to the port 41 of the partition wall 4. Oppose and align.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the port 41 of the partition wall 4 and its periphery in the vertical heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the manner in which the bottom of the carrier container 2 and the engaging members provided on the mounting table 61 (62) are engaged in the vertical heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the mounting tables 61 and 62 are located at positions where the carrier container 2 is placed by the container transport device described later and when the carrier container 2 is connected to the port 41 of the partition wall 4. The drive unit 63a can be moved back and forth between the position in contact with the surroundings, for example, by an air cylinder. As shown in FIG. 6, the mounting tables 61 and 62 are provided with a key-shaped engaging member 60 that engages with the engaging recess 24 at the bottom of the carrier container 2. The engaging member 60 is configured to be rotatable around a horizontal axis by the driving portion 60a. The engaging member 60 is engaged with the engaging concave portion 24, and the engaging position is released. It rotates between and.

On the other hand, a storage unit 64 for storing the carrier container 2 is provided above the second area 6. In this example, the storage section 64 is composed of two rows and two rows of shelves. In the second area 6, a container transport device for transporting the carrier container 2 between the first mounting tables 51, 52 and the second mounting tables 61, 62 and the storage section 64 is provided. 6 5 will be provided. The container transport device 65 is a horizontally extending and vertically movable A guide part 66 and a moving part 67 that moves while being guided by the guide part 66 are provided. The moving part 67 is provided with an articulated arm 68 holding the flange part 22 on the upper surface of the carrier container 2 and transporting the carrier container 2 in the horizontal direction.

8A and 8B are a longitudinal side view and a cross-sectional plan view showing a state in which the carrier container 2 is provided on the port 41 of the partition wall 4 in the vertical heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG.

The carrier container 2 on the second mounting table 6 1 (62) that has moved forward abuts against the partition wall 4 so that the opening 20 is aligned with the port 41. Therefore, when the lid 21 of the carrier container 2 is removed in this state, the inside of the carrier container 2 and the loading area S 2 communicate with each other through the port 41 of the partition wall 4. . A seal for the carrier container 2 to abut on the edge of the port 41 on the I / O area S1 side (that is, the edge of the mouth 20 of the carrier container 2 abuts). Component 42 is installed. The sealing member 42 functions as a part of the partition wall 4 that defines the opening of the port 41.

On the loading area S2 side of the bulkhead 4, a door 43 for opening and closing the port 41 is provided. The door 43 has a concave shape toward the loading area S2, and therefore, when the carrier container 2 is placed on the port 41, the door 43 and the carrier container 2 are not connected to each other. A buffer space BS is formed between the opening 20 and the opening 20. In the buffer space BS, a door 43 is provided with a detachable device 44 for attaching and detaching the lid 21 of the carrier container 2 to and from the carrier container 2. The door 43 is driven by a door drive unit (not shown). When the door 43 is opened, the door 43 is removed from the carrier container 2. While supporting the lid 21, it is retracted upward or downward along the partition wall 4 to a position where it does not hinder the transfer of the wafer W.

The gas supply section GS and the exhaust section ES for supplying and exhausting the clean gas to and from the carrier container 2 are connected to the knocker space BS. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIGS. 8A and 8B, two porous filters connected to the gas supply unit GS are provided on the side edge side of the port 41 of the partition wall 4. The filter 45 is attached, and an inert gas, for example, a nitrogen gas is supplied as a clean gas into the buffer space BS from the filter 45. At the lower end of the port 41, a horizontally elongated exhaust port 46 is formed as viewed from the front so that exhaust with less deviation can be performed, and this is connected to the exhaust section ES, which will be described later. In addition, the gas supply unit GS and the exhaust unit ES operate under the control of the control unit with the door 43 closed and the cover 21 of the carrier container 2 removed, and the buffer space BS. Replace the inside of the carrier 2 with clean gas.

On the IZO area S1 side of the partition wall 4, two holding mechanisms 7 for holding the upper surfaces of the carrier containers 2 placed on the second mounting tables 61 and 62 respectively are provided. Are arranged side by side. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a holding mechanism 7 of the vertical heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG.

The pressing mechanism 7 includes a rotating shaft 71 that is supported so as to extend horizontally along the partition wall 4, and a pressing member 72 whose base end is fixed to the rotating shaft 71. The holding member 72 has an inverted letter-shaped plate 73, and both legs 73 a and 73 b are fixed to the rotating shaft 71. On the head 74 of the plate 73, a circular projection 75 is formed on a surface facing downward when in a horizontal posture. protrusion 75 engages with the circular concave portion 23 of the flange portion 22 disposed on the upper surface of the carrier container 2 when the holding member 72 falls down and assumes a substantially horizontal posture. It is arranged as follows.

The holding mechanism 7 has air cylinders 81 a and 81 b as driving sources. The air cylinders 81a and 81b are located above the holding member 72 and on both sides thereof, with their piston rods 80a,

80b is mounted on partition wall 4 so as to move vertically. Bearing members 82a and 82b are attached to the lower ends of the piston rods 80a and 80b, respectively. One ends of operating arms 83a and 83b are journaled to the shaft supporting members 82a and 82b, respectively. The other ends of the operation arms 83 a and 83 b are rotatably attached to both side edges of the holding member 72.

Therefore, when the piston rods 80a, 80b are retracted by the air cylinders 81a, 81b, the holding member 72 is formed by the partition wall 4 as shown by a chain line. It is in an upright position (upper position). When the piston rods 80a and 80b extend downward, the holding member 72 is in a substantially horizontal posture as shown by the solid line (lower position). And In this lower position, the projection 75 is inserted into the concave portion 23 of the carrier container 2 and presses the carrier container 2 against the mounting table 61 (62).

The door 43, the detachable device 44, the second mounting table 61 (62) holding member 72, the gas supply section GS, the exhaust section ES, and the like are stored in the control section 8 (see FIG. 5). Operated according to the program. Schematically, the control section 8 controls the second mounting table 6 1 (6 2). It is detected that the carrier container 2 is placed on the upper side, and the second placing table 6 1 (6 2) is reached until the carrier container 2 comes into contact with the periphery of the port 41 of the bulkhead 4. To move forward. Next, the air cylinders 81 a and 81 b of the holding mechanism 7 are driven, and the carrier container 2 is moved by the holding member 72 to the second mounting table 61 (62). Press it. Next, the detachable device 44 is operated to remove the sand body 21 from the carrier container 2. Next, with the door 43 closed, the gas supply section GS and the exhaust section ES are operated to replace the buffer space BS and the carrier container 2 with clean gas. Next, the door 43 and the lid 21 are retreated from the port 41. As a result, the wafer W in the carrier container 2 can be carried into the loading area S2.

Returning to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the inside of the loading area S2 will be described. In the loading area S2, a vertical heat treatment furnace 91 having a furnace B at its lower end which is opened and closed by a lid 94 is provided. Below the vertical heat treatment furnace 91, a wafer boat 92, which is a holder for holding a large number of wafers W in a shelf shape, is placed on a lid 94. In addition, a heat insulating portion 93 is provided between the wafer boat 92 and the cover 94 on the cover 94. The lid body 94 is supported on an elevating mechanism 95, and the elevating mechanism 95 loads and unloads the wafer port 92 from the heat treatment furnace 91.

A wafer transfer device 96 is provided between the wafer board 92 and the port 41 of the partition wall 4. The wafer transfer device 96 is connected to the wafer port 92 and the carrier on the second mounting table 61, 62. The wafer W is transferred to and from the rear container 2. The wafer transfer device 96 has a moving body 98 that can move around a vertical axis while moving along a guide mechanism 97 extending left and right. Moving body

A plurality of, for example, five retractable arms 9 9 are provided in the 9 8.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described. The following operation is performed according to a program stored in the control unit 8 (see FIG. 5).

First, an automatic transport robot (not shown) that moves along the ceiling of the clean room causes the carrier container 2 to descend through the internal space of the panel portion 54, and the first It is mounted on the mounting table 51 (52). Next, the carrier container 2 is transferred to the second mounting table 61 (62) by the container transfer device 65. It is to be noted that the carrier container 2 may be temporarily stored in the storage unit 64 by the container transport device 65 and then transported to the second mounting table 61 (62). When the carrier container 2 is mounted on the second mounting table 61 (62), first, the engaging member 60 shown in FIG. 6 rotates to engage the bottom of the carrier container 2. Engage with mating recesses 24. Next, the second mounting table 6 1 (6 2) moves to the partition wall 4 side, and the edge of the opening 20 of the carrier container 2 is moved to the sealing member 4 around the port 4 1 of the partition wall 4. 2 airtight contact.

Next, the piston rods 80a, 80b are extended downward by the air cylinders 81a, 81 of the presser mechanism 7, and the actuating arms 83a, 83b are moved. Pressed downward while being regulated by the holding member 72. As a result, the holding member 7 2 is Rotate around 1 and fall sideways. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8A, the projection 75 of the holding member 72 is inserted into the recess 23 of the flange 22 of the carrier container 2, and the carrier container 2 is brought into contact with the carrier container 2. 2 against the mounting table 6 1 (6 2). Next, the key (not shown) of the attaching / detaching device 44 is inserted into the keyhole 2 la (see FIG. 4) of the lid 21 of the carrier container 2 and rotated by approximately 90 °. As a result, the lid 21 is removed from the carrier container 2 (FIGS. 8A and 8B).

Next, a clean gas, for example, nitrogen gas, is blown from the porous filter 45 horizontally into the carrier vessel 2 at a flow rate of, for example, 50 to 201 / rai. This nitrogen gas flows between the wafers W and along the inner wall of the carrier container 2, returns to the mouth 20, and is exhausted from the lower exhaust port 46. As a result, the carrier container 2 內 and the buffer space BS between the carrier container 2 and the door 43 are replaced with nitrogen gas. At this time, since a large flow rate of nitrogen gas is introduced into the carrier container 2, the internal pressure in the carrier container 2 increases, and an impact is applied to the carrier container 2 when the gas is introduced. However, since the carrier container 2 is pressed from above by the pressing member 72, there is no displacement, so that the opening 20 of the carrier container 2 and the sealing member 42 are not connected. Airtightness is not impaired.

Next, the door 43, the detachable device 44, and the lid 21 rise, for example, retreat from the port 41, and the inside of the carrier container 2 communicates with the loading area S2. State. Next, the wafers W in the carrier container 2 are sequentially transferred by the wafer transfer device 96. The wafer is taken out and transferred to wafer port 92. When the wafer W in the carrier container 2 is emptied, the lid 21 of the carrier container 2 is closed by an operation reverse to the above.

The timing when the pressing mechanism 7 releases the pressing, that is, in the present embodiment, when the pressing member 72 returns to the upright state, the opening 20 of the carrier container 2 is, for example, a case where the lid 20 is a lid. After being closed by 21. Next, the second mounting table 61 (62) is retracted, and the carrier container 2 is separated from the partition wall 4. Next, the carrier container 2 is transferred to the storage section 64 by the container transfer device 65 and is temporarily stored.

On the other hand, when a predetermined number of wafers W are mounted on the wafer port 92, the wafer port 92 is loaded into the heat treatment furnace 91. Next, in the heat treatment furnace 91, heat treatment, for example, CVD, anneal treatment, oxidation treatment, and the like are performed on the wafer W on the wafer port 92. When the heat treatment is completed, the wafer W is returned into the carrier container 2 by the operation reverse to the above.

According to the above-described embodiment, the carrier container 2 mounted on the second mounting table 6 1 (6 2) and in contact with the partition wall 4 is pressed by the pressing member 7 2 with an upward force. . For this reason, when replacing the atmosphere in the carrier container 2 with the clean gas, even if the flow rate of the clean gas is increased and the impact on the carrier container 2 due to the blowing of the gas becomes large, Rear container 2 is stable without flapping. Even if the impact when opening and closing the lid 21 of the carrier container 2 is large, the carrier container 2 is pressed down from above so that the carrier container 2 can be opened and closed. Posture is stable You.

Accordingly, since the airtight state between the carrier container 2 and the partition wall 4 is not broken, it is possible to prevent the inflow from the I / O area S1 side, which is the atmosphere side, to the loading area S2 side. You. Further, since no displacement or protrusion of the wafer W occurs, there is no hindrance in the subsequent operation of taking out the wafer W by the wafer transfer device 96. Further, since the flow rate of the clean gas supplied into the carrier container 2 can be increased, the time required for the replacement with the clean gas can be reduced, and the throughput can be improved.

The holding member 72 of the holding mechanism 7 rotates between a state of standing up along the partition (upper position) and a state of lying down (lower position). Therefore, when the holding of the carrier container 2 is released, the holding member 72 does not hinder the conveyance of the carrier container 2. Further, the entire holding mechanism 7 can be made simple.

In the above-described embodiment, an example of the pressing mechanism that presses the carrier container 2 from above is described. Alternatively, the holding mechanism may hold the carrier container 2 from the side. 9A and 9B are explanatory views showing another example of the holding mechanism.

The holding mechanism shown in FIG. 9A includes a holding member 9 for pressing the carrier container 2 placed on the second mounting table 61 (62) from the rear side against the partition wall 4 to fix it. With 2. The holding member 92 can be moved forward and backward, for example, and can be lowered, for example, below the mounting surface of the second mounting table 61 (62).

The holding mechanism shown in Fig. 9B is attached to the second mounting table 61 (62). It has a pair of holding members 95 and 96 for holding the mounted carrier container 2 from both sides and fixing it. In this case, the timing when the carrier container 2 is fixed to the second mounting table 61 (62) by the holding mechanism is set before the carrier container 2 comes into contact with the partition wall. Is also good.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various design changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the atmosphere of the loading area S2 is not limited to the inert gas, but may be clean dry air. In this case, after the carrier container 2 comes into contact with the partition wall 3, clean and dry air may be supplied into the carrier container 2 to replace the atmosphere in the carrier container 2. . Further, the present invention can be applied to a device in which the I and O areas for carrying the carrier container 2 are provided at different places. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the vertical heat treatment apparatus, but may be applied to other types of semiconductor processing apparatuses, such as a single-wafer heat treatment apparatus, an apparatus for applying and developing a resist, and an ion implantation apparatus. be able to.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. A port structure for loading and unloading the substrate to be processed into and out of the semiconductor processing equipment,

A partition having a port through which the substrate to be processed is passed, while partitioning an outer side area and an inner side area of the device,

A door disposed on the partition wall so as to open and close the port, a mounting portion disposed facing the port in the external area, and the mounting portion includes a plurality of processing targets. A carrier container accommodating the substrates in multiple stages is formed so as to be placed in a state where an opening of the carrier container and the port face each other;

A holding member disposed above the mounting portion, and the holding member presses the carrier container against the mounting portion from above the carrier container;

A drive unit that moves the holding member between a lower position that engages with the carrier container and an upper position that does not move the carrier container.

Is provided.

2. The port according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit is configured to move the holding member between the lower position and the upper position by rotating the holding member around a horizontal axis. Structure.

3. The port structure according to claim 1, wherein in the upper position, the holding member stands along the partition.

4. The port structure according to claim 1, wherein the carrier container has a concave portion formed on an upper portion thereof, and the pressing member has a convex portion engaging with the concave portion.

5. The port structure according to claim 1, wherein a positioning member that engages with the carrier container and positions the carrier container is provided on the mounting portion.

6. The carrier container has an engagement recess formed at the bottom thereof, and the mounting portion selectively moves with the engagement recess by moving with respect to the mounting portion. 2. The port structure according to claim 1, wherein an engaging member to be engaged is provided.

7. A gas supply unit and a gas exhaust unit that supply and exhaust clean gas to and from the carrier container in a state where the mouth of the carrier container is arranged on the port. The port structure according to claim 1, further comprising:

8. In the partition wall and the door, a buffer space is formed between the door and the opening when the opening of the carrier container is arranged on the port. 8. The port structure according to claim 7, wherein the gas supply unit and the exhaust unit are connected to the buffer space.

9. The vehicle further includes a control unit that controls the door, the gas supply unit, and the exhaust unit, wherein the control unit is configured to control the gas supply unit and the exhaust unit in a state where the door is closed. The port structure according to claim 7, wherein the inside of the carrier container is replaced with the clean gas.

10. The carrier container further includes a lid that opens and closes the mouth, and the door holds the lid in the air-tight state when the outer area and the inner area are airtightly partitioned. Claim 9 includes a detachable device that can be attached to and detached from the rear container. The port structure shown.

11. The port structure according to claim 1, wherein the detachable device is controlled together with the door, the gas supply unit, and the exhaust unit by the control unit.